Yakima Integrated Plan
Toppenish to Teanaway
Project 2017-2021
$7.5 Million in Technical and Financial Assistance Awarded to the Yakima Basin for Landowners and Agricultural Producers
On the third try, the Kittitas County Conservation District finally succeeded in securing funding through the USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The “Yakima Integrated Plan – Toppenish to Teanaway” was one of 88 projects across the nation to be approved in December 2016. More than $7.5 million will be dedicated to projects and programs in irrigated crop lands and grazing areas of Kittitas County and the Yakama Reservation. The proposal includes $7.58 million in contributions to the project from state, local and sources.
The project is a partnership between the Yakama Nation and the KCCD to provide assistance to landowners and producers on the Yakama Reservation and in Kittitas County. It may seem like strange combination for a proposal, given the geographic separation of the priority areas. “In previous rounds, we had a strategy, in that the Yakama Nation was applying for assistance for on-reservation work and we were applying for assistance with off reservation work, but we were all working together under the umbrella of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan” said Anna Lael, District Manager. Program rules are different on and off reservation, so it seemed logical to keep them separate. After the second round, feedback was received indicating that the proposals were essentially competing against one another and that a combined single proposal would be a better idea. “So, we took our second round proposal and the Yakama Nation’s second round proposal and put them together in a single project and applied again,” she said. Only one lead partner is allowed in the proposal process, so the Yakama Nation agreed to fill that role. Of the total funding award, more than $6.2 million is dedicated to Kittitas County programs and projects.
ANNUAL REPORT SUBMITTED
The annual report for this RCPP project was submitted to NRCS in November 2020. Click here to view the report of activities for both the Yakama Nation and the Kittitas County Conservation District
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners (like the KCCD) to deliver conservation assistance to producers and landowners. With RCPP, partners are in the “driver’s seat” with technical and financial help from NRCS. Partners develop projects that deliver solutions to natural resource challenges. NRCS will work side-by-side with the KCCD and agricultural producers to conserve natural resources, leading to cleaner and more abundant water, healthier soil, enhanced wildlife habitat and many other benefits.
On Dec. 21, 2016, the USDA announced that 88 new high-impact projects across the country will receive $225 million in fiscal year (FY) 2017 federal funding as part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service's Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). This included the Yakima Integrated Plan - Toppenish to Teanaway Project submitted by the Yakama Nation and the Kittitas County County Conservation District.
Project leads include KCCD and the Yakama Nation.
Partners also contributing funding for this project include:
Other partners providing assistance include:
